"We covered 'Hey Jude.' My father panicked, misunderstanding the lyrics and thinking our lead singer was belting out 'Hey, Jew' to a roomful of Holocaust survivors."

Ben Stiller

I listened to the distant sound of cars driving in the distance, of loud music pouring from various places - including said cars and nearby buildings - and, of course, the sound of my own ragged breathing as I panted against the wall of the black alley, keeping my back pressed against it.

That was a close one.

On my way to the bookstore, where I was hoping to find Bella, I'd almost been recognized by some random woman. She never actually figured out if it was me or not because I finally gave her the slip, but she was suspicious enough to tail me for a few blocks.

Craziness.

After composing myself for a few minutes - and making sure I still wasn't being followed (ladies like that one are usually deceptively sneaky) - I made my way to the opposite end of the alley, peering out. On the other side of the street, on almost the complete opposite end as me, was the bookstore. Her bookstore. And my gifted sanctuary as a result, since it had led me to her. Bella.

My girl.

No, that wasn't quite right.

My woman.

I smiled to myself. Much better.

Glancing around uneasily, I slipped out of the alleyway and onto the sidewalk, keeping my hood pulled up and my head down. I walked a swift pace, but not so fast as to draw suspicion from anyone who may be around, even if I couldn't see them.

It was with a feeling of great relief that I finally made it to the glass pull-open door of the bookstore, warm, inviting light spilling from it. I grabbed the handle and walked through.

Anne was behind the counter, reclining in a chair and reading a plain black book with no visible title. She glanced up as the tinkling bell over the door was disturbed, alerting her to my presence. She smiled slyly, a smile that looked oddly out of place on her naturally sweet face. She jerked her head in the direction of the staircase. "She's upstairs," she told me, raising an eyebrow slightly. I internally winced. I wondered what Bella must've looked like when she came here to have so obviously alerted Anne to something amiss.

"Thanks," I mumbled, and darted through the shelves of books until I got to the staircase near the back of the store. I took deep breaths as I ascended the stairs, unsure of what was going to happen now. Would Bella be mad that I hadn't thought anything through? Did she just not want to come back in the first place? Was I expecting too much, too soon? I had no experience with serious relationships. I was clueless as to how this worked.

Well, we'd work it out together somehow.

I cleared the last of the steps and stood on the even floor, my head automatically turning to the left to see if she was at "our" table. At least, that's what I called it because it's the table we always sit at.

Bingo. There was she was, fiddling with her hands and biting her lip - classic "nervous Bella" signs. I'd seen those before when she was thinking about her mother, or worrying over the deadline for her potential photo job. She told me she'd finally taken the perfect picture, though she hadn't shown it to me yet. I'd have to talk to her about that.

I started to approach and her eyes flickered over to the opening of the staircase, making her eyes land on me; finally. Her eyes widened in surprise and something else, and I couldn't help but to smile a little, feeling a tug on my heart, pulling me over to her. I was glad I was with her again.

She didn't say anything as I pulled out the chair across from her, but as soon as I scooted in her words spilled out in a rush.

"Okay," she said hurriedly, eyes darting around. "I'm sorry I didn't stay, but I didn't know what to do! I mean, I wandered around your place for a little while, but I wasn't sure if I should stay, and then I remembered that…okay, well we didn't use protection but it's fine! No worries! I went to a pharmacy and…well it's all cool, but then I didn't know if I should come back and…oh, your sheets are in the dryer, I thought I should do that…and, well, I, and…" She took a deep breath and when she fixed me with her stare again, her eyes didn't waver and there was defiance blazing in them. "Okay, well I couldn't have come back anyway! I mean, it's not like I had a key…I mean a card. And I doubt the people would've let me in just because I was there before, they wouldn't remember me, I'd just be some weird stalker trying to break into your place, so…I came here because…you're here too so I'm glad you figured it out. I mean, c'mon! I don't even have your cell phone number! I've never done this, I didn't know what to do, so, so, so you can be mad or whatever but…yeah. There!"

She breathed in deeply - and shakily - and settled back into her chair, crossing her arms weakly.

Maybe I'm an ass, and from the look she gave me afterwards I knew that I was, but she was just so damn adorable…

I burst out laughing, unable to help myself, and I couldn't stop for such a long time that there were tears in my eyes by the time I was finished.

"Oh Bella," I sighed happily, and let a couple more chuckles escape before I leaned back and opened an arm, gesturing for her to come sit in my lap. Uncertainly, she raised herself up and crossed around the table before settling into me. My arms wrapped around her tightly as I buried my face in her hair, still laughing slightly as I breathed in her intoxicating scent. I'd missed it, too.

"I have to say, you should word vomit some more," I grinned against her head. "I haven't laughed so hard in…ever."

She smacked my shoulder weakly and I held her hand, tangling my fingers into hers.

I leaned back so I could look at her, still smiling. "I'm not mad Bella," I told her. "How could I be? It was my fault. I just…left. I don't know what I was thinking." I grinned. "Consider it a compliment. You completely blew my mind."

She finally let out a laugh too, and shook out her hair slightly. "I'll have to remember not to do that next time," she teased.

"Oh you better not," I warned, tightening my grip on her. Something else she said finally seemed to register in my mind; I felt my heart sink when it did.

I ran one of my hands down my face and sighed, wearily this time. Damn, I really was an ass. I couldn't believe I'd been so irresponsible.

Bella looked worried at my change in attitude, and I felt my mouth twist as I explained. "I really am sorry. For leaving, firstly, without really talking with you about anything, and also for…being careless last night. I didn't even think about protection. I could say I was just caught up in the moment, but there's no real excuse for what I did."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh be a martyr why don't you," she said grumpily, flinging an arm around my neck. "You weren't the only one who was careless. I mean, it really effects me, and I didn't think about it at all."

I frowned at that. "It doesn't just effect you Bella," I said seriously. "Not anymore. I'm around for as long as you want. No matter what."

She smiled shyly, her beautiful blush filling her cheeks as she became fascinated with the collar of my shirt. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"I think 'I love you' is the more appropriate response."

"That too." I rolled my eyes while she grinned. "Anyway, like I said, I took care of it and I also picked up some, erm…" She began to mumble. "…birth…control…so…we don't have to worry about it again when we..." She cleared her throat and didn't start speaking again. Her eyes were intent upon my collar still, and she lifted a finger to trace the ridges, doing her best not to look at me. Her cheeks were beginning to flame.

I laughed out loud in surprise. "Are you actually embarrassed to talk about it?" I asked in disbelief.

She shrugged and bit her lip. "I'm still getting used to it," she whispered. "I've only ever talked to my mom about…sex…so certainly not guys."

"You don't have to worry about it with me," I rushed to reassure her. "I don't ever want you to feel uncomfortable with me."

She breathed out exasperatedly, blowing a strand of hair away from her face. "It's not you," she said, frustrated. "You're probably the only one I could ever be comfortable with. It's just the whole thing in general."

She leaned her forehead against my collar bone and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I actually think I feel more comfortable talking about…sex stuff in bed," she mumbled. "It feels more natural there."

"We should relocate then," I murmured, and was surprised to hear my voice drop a few octaves. Wait, no, dammit! I wasn't supposed to make love to her again until tomorrow, when she'd had plenty of time to recover. What was I thinking? Hell, what was I saying?

"Mmm," she hummed, smiling as she raised her lips to mine. "Sounds like a good idea to me," she murmured against them before she pressed forward gently.

I sighed in relief as I finally kissed her. It felt like eons ago that I had last done it. Her lips were soft and pliable, responding to me instinctively and automatically. I opened her lips with my own and slipped my tongue in her mouth, winding a hand into the hair at the nape of the neck, pushing her closer to me. Her arms tightened around my neck as our tongues wrestled, and my hands started to wander, traveling up and down her sides reverently. My hands slid to her hips and I held on tightly, eliciting a small moan from her. God…I could feel myself wanting her more and more the longer we did this.

When she needed to breathe again she pulled back, gasping. I wasn't done quite yet though. My lips trailed down her smooth jaw to the silky skin of her graceful, elegant neck, sucking and kissing gently. She tasted so good.

"What were you…saying about relocating?" she gasped, her breathing ragged against my hair as her hands moved to tangle themselves in it.

I hesitated, pulling back. "Maybe that's not the best idea," I admitted. "I probably won't be able to control myself around you, alone."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's kind of the point Edward."

"Bella you're still - "

"Don't tell me what I am and am not Edward! Are you me? Are you me? No, you're not. And I've been stressing out over you all day Masen. You owe me."

I'm sure my face registered my shock at her angry little outburst, but at the same time it kind of…excited me. She was so adorable in her "rage." If one could even call it that.

My eyes flickered to the floor and I saw a bag that must be hers. I stood up abruptly, setting Bella down and grabbing the bag before I grabbed her hand. "Let's go," I said shortly, and began pulling her along behind me.

She seemed surprised at first and I couldn't understand why. She honestly thought she could talk to me like that and not have me wanting to jump her bones as soon as possible? I mean, she asked for it after all.

"We're really going back to your place?" she asked, sounding excited and eager at the same time. I let a smile curve up my lips. Good.

"Yes." I wrapped an arm around her waist as the bottom of the staircase. "You make a strong… and sexy case Miss Swan."

She blushed and I wanted to laugh at how quickly she could go from flaming tiger seductress to my normal shy, kitten Bella.

We waved at Anne as we left. I was going to have to start buying books for Bella here. I always felt bad about coming to this place and never buying anything.

BPOV

I wanna sex you up.

I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Badd

The minute Edward shut his penthouse door behind us my overnight bag was dropped and I was pressed up against the door, my hands being pinned above my head as his lips furiously latched onto mine and kissed me like there was no tomorrow.

That worked for me.

Groaning, I used the leverage of his firm body pressed against mine to throw one leg up over his hip, grinding against him to let him know I needed him to give me a leg up. Which he gladly did. I say gladly because he must be enjoying it - he never let go of my thigh after he helped me wrap it around his torso.

His teeth and lips were doing devilish things to my mouth and jaw as he worked his magic on me. He may have been a virgin before but his kissing skills were superb.

My hands gripped his strong shoulders as his lips started to trail down to the collar of my shirt, tugging it down so his mouth could reach further places. "Edward," I sighed breathily, digging my nails into his skin through his t-shirt.

Which, now that I thought about it, was definitely going to have to go.

He exhaled against my chest, slumping his face into it. "You know every time you say my name like that I lose my mind, right?" he asked, his voice muffled by my shirt.

I giggled. "A girl can dream," I said happily. I tugged on his hair and let my legs slowly drop to the ground. "Your sheets are in the dryer," I informed him again. "Go make your bed."

He raised his head to stare at me incredulously. "Please don't start sounding like my mother," he groaned, wincing at the same time.

A guilty twinge stung my heart and I grimaced. "I didn't mean it like that," I mumbled. "It's just that your mattress is kind of rough on its own, without sheets…"

"I get it," he said softly, and sent me his award-winning grin, letting me know I was forgiven. He began to pull me along with him, but I resisted, much to his surprise.

"No," I insisted. "When you're done come meet me in the kitchen. I have to talk to you about something."

Actor he may be, but he wasn't bothering to cover up the fear and unease on his face now. I went over my last sentence in my head and nearly winced when I realized what he must've heard in it. "No, nothing bad!" I assured. "Well, it's kind of bad. To me. But really it's no big deal."

"Because that all makes sense."

"It does to me. Now get going!"

"For a supposedly 'shy' girl you've certainly grown a backbone in the past 48 hours," he grumbled. "I think you've been lying to me this whole time." He loped gracefully away even though he was dragging his feet simultaneously. Damn him. How was he so perfect?

I meandered along into the kitchen and sat down on one of the bar stools to wait.

It didn't take long. He was either very efficient or very eager. Either one was fine.

"Okay. What is this about?" His eyes looked weary.

I glared and walked over to the fridge, leaning on it with my forearm. "Your fridge was talking to me earlier," I began, but he cut me off.

"What?"

"Your fridge was talking to me earlier," I told him like it was the most obvious thing ever and he was just being daft. "And guess what it showed me?"

"...You were talking to my fridge."

"No, your fridge was talking to me. Anyway, so guess what I found, huh?" I yanked open the huge fridge door and gestured angrily at the contents - or lack thereof. "What the hell is this Edward?"

He was staring at me though, still. "Let me get this straight. My fridge…was talking to you?"

I blew a strand of hair away from my face exasperatedly. "Edward, I think you're completely missing the point," I told him, annoyed. "Look at all this space! And you're just wasting it! Do you know how much I would kill for a fridge like this?"

He opened his mouth automatically, starting to speak but stopping immediately. He shook his head and said something that I knew wasn't what he was going to say originally. "Okay, but you still think my fridge was talking to you. I think that's what we should focus on."

"First off, there's no thinking involved. It really did happen. And second, what were you really going to say?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, his eyes widening innocently. A little too quick. A little too innocent.

"Liar," I mumbled. I shut the door with a little more force than necessary, even though that really wasn't fair to his fridge. I refrained from the urge to rub my hand comfortingly up and down the metal door.

Edward crossed the room in a couple strides and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "Don't be mad," he pleaded in my ear. Damn him. I was giving in. His breath floating around the rim of my ear was too much sensory overload for me. "I promise I'll tell you…one day. Maybe one day soon."

"Oh, that's not cryptic at all," I grumbled, but my hands were raising to grip his t-shirt, snuggling myself in closer.

He nuzzled his nose against my cheek. "Remember, I'm new at this whole thing too," he whispered. "I don't know how to proceed half the time. What I should and shouldn't say. What's too much, what's too soon. I don't ever want to pressure or push or rush you into anything."

"Edward," I sighed against the side of his face too. "Don't worry about that. The same way you don't want me to be uncomfortable, I don't want you to hold back. I want you. All of you." I pulled him a little closer.

He whispered my name slowly, and began to turn his head, his cheek brushing my mine. But before our lips brushed he asked quietly, "You don't ever think we're moving too fast?"

I laughed out loud. "No way. After how long I waited for you? No such thing as too fast. Besides, it's not like we're moving in together or anything. I think we're doing just right."

He sighed before he turned his head all the way to press his lips against mine fully. I wanted to think about that some more, but I promptly forgot it the longer he kissed me. His hands moved down to my ass and lifted me up, carrying me from the kitchen, his hand turning the light off on his way. I smiled against his lips. Good boy. Save the environment.

--

Hours later and I was still breathing heavily as I lay curled up against Edward, covered in sweat. He was panting too, eyes open as he stared into mine, brushing his hand through my hair repeatedly.

"Bleh, don't touch my hair," I whispered. "My head's all sweaty."

"Maybe I like your sweaty head," he countered, leaning forward those few inches to kiss my forehead, and leave a long lick against the side of my cheek.

With that one gesture I was shuddering with want and need again.

"Edward," I moaned, pushing him onto his back as I clambered onto him with absolutely no grace to straddle his hips.

I took him in my hands and began to stroke him, something I'd learned how to do effectively in the last couple of hours. I needed him hard and revived again.

He groaned loudly, and bucked up into my hand. "Bella," he gasped. Yup. There he was. Standing up proud again.

I was still curious about this whole thing. "So, does it feel better when I do this - " I dragged my hand up and down his cock a few times quickly, stroking him like I'd learned he liked. He threw his head back, grabbing onto my hips hard. "Or…this." I slid my hands down to fondle his base and everything around it. His fingers dug into my hips as cords stood out his strained neck, wild gasps and moans escaping him. I smiled, proud, happy, content, and oddly innocent. It felt right to be with him like this.

"Both," he gasped. "Both, just…god Bella, I want to be inside you."

I hummed with pleasure as I closed my eyes in assent, getting on my knees and positioning myself over him before settling down, my nails digging into his stomach as he filled me up. Earlier, when he'd entered me again for the first time today, it had felt…weird. Not painful, but just weird as I was stretched when - admittedly - I was still a tad bit sore. Now, I felt nothing but pleasure as we'd made love again and again. Our stamina lasting longer now that we knew what to expect.

"Edward," I whispered reverently, leaning forward to rest my head against his chest as I began swiveling my hips around, grinding down onto his solid length, feeling him rubbing against my inner walls in all the perfect places.

"Bella," he murmured back, with just as much devotion in his voice. He started to jerk his hips upward, holding onto my hips to lift me up and push me back down, getting harder and harder each time. I gasped, watching his glistening biceps flex and stretch. Hot damn, he was gorgeous.

I started helping him, raising myself up and slamming back down, doing a circular motion when I landed, rubbing his base. He grunted, and released the hold on one of my hips to bring his hand to my clit, pressing firmly and massaging it.

I cried out his name, unable to help myself. A pressure was building up high in my thighs and low in my abdomen. It was in the curl of my toes, the ache in my abused nipples, the pulsing of my bruised lips, and the heat spreading through me at the way Edward's darkened eyes watched my every movement as if I was beautiful and desirable.

Growling at my scream, he wrapped his arms around my waist and flipped us over, slipping out of my briefly, making me cry out again in loss. He was back between my spread out legs a second later, entering me and picking up a new but still familiar rhythm.

In. Out. Retreat slowly. Slam back inside. Slap skin together. Breathe in my ear. Rub me down over and over again.

"Edward," I breathed out, my body beginning to convulse around him as my release neared. He twitched inside of me, his pants, my groans, his growls, my moans filling the room and the space we resided inside of. "Ung…faster…"

"Anything," he whispered, kissing my lips hard as he increased his pace, rocking our entire bodies back and forth. I mewled out, my feet digging into the bed, trying to keep myself grounded as he pounded into me at the exact right spot and I was floating away, safe in his arms.

He thrusted a few more times before his release came, and he froze, body shaking as he came. He buried his head in my neck and we laid there together for a long time. I was going to make him let us go to sleep like this, with him resting on top of me, head nestled in my breasts. Yesterday, he'd thought he was too heavy. I thought he was deliciously solid. He was staying like this.

"Guess what?" he breathed against my damp skin. I could feel a smile on his lips.

"What?" I asked.

"I love you."

"I love you too," I whispered, biting my lip.

"Guess what else?"

"What?" I asked again, giggling this time. He raised his head to grin at me.

"No work tomorrow." His smile was cheeky. "And I think I definitely need to take you out on a real date. We've done things a bit oddly."

I rolled my eyes. "Conventional is so boring though," I teased.

"Agreed. Still. We've already defeated convention so following it now will still be unconventional, so we win no matter what."

"Whatever you say."

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.

"Where would we go?"

"Uh-uh. No qualifiers. Yes or no?"

I sighed. As if he didn't already know the answer. "Yes Edward. I'll go on date with you."

I threw an arm over my eyes. "It'd be a bit weird if I said no at this point anyway," I mumbled.

He let out a soft laugh of victory and kissed me softly. "And don't worry. I'm going to get you my room card tomorrow so you can get in here whenever you want."

I laughed. "Wow, you must really trust me. Because what if I totally abused it? Like, I was here every single day when you got home? You wouldn't think that was weird - or stalkerish?"

He smiled at me. "No. I'd think of that more as a dream come true."

Sorry this took so long. Some things have come up in my life recently that have put me in the complete opposite mood of writing anything happy. But I've decided to take an alternate perspective to it - use the happiness in this world to make myself feel happy for a while. While I can. Because this story will not always be happy. But a good majority of the time it will be loving and E/B-ness, don't worry. Drama-filled at times, but overall hopeful.

Ugh, sorry, no dedication this time because I didn't have time to go through them and pick someone. It's NOT because your guy's reviews are anything less than awesome, amazing, stupendous, spectacular, make-me-smile-because-they-rock-my-socks….you get the point.

Hope you guys participated in 'the world turns off its lights for an hour' today! :D It was from between the hours of 8:30 and 9:30.

Thanks! Review please!

- The Romanticidal Edwardian